Tag Archives: blogging

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And So It Ends

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It’s probably no surprise to you that I’m writing this.

It IS a surprise to me.

I’ve been pondering about it for months now, trying to make time for everything, trying to hang on, trying not to say goodbye.

I’ve rationalized too long, finding comfort in my internet securities.

I’ve remembered that the hardest decisions are almost always the right ones.

I’ve realized that in order to keep growing, you must allow change.

And, wow, have I grown.

I’ve been in Germany for over a year now and I have moments where I don’t even recognize myself. And, that’s not a bad thing.

It’s just….time to keep growing and make more changes in the hopes of reaching even bigger goals.

So, it is with a heavy heart that I’m saying goodbye to this blog. I know people have found it helpful. I just received an email from someone the other day, thanking me, but I think this is the right decision for me.

To be honest, I’m not sure if I will delete it or leave it up, although I’m leaning towards deletion.

I can’t let go of this name though, or the cool idea that jolted me back into a lost dream. So, you’ll still be able to find From Casinos to Castles in social media.

As for me, I applied for almost 20 jobs today. The boy is in kindergarten now and I am hoping with all my heart that something works out. Anything.

I’m not giving up my dream of being a writer either, so, you can still find me over at Tipsy Lit. You may not know, but I’m Managing Editor over there now. I’m really excited about that opportunity and I think this year, I’m going to grow even more than the previous one. I have so many things in the works.

I’m working on a memoir as well as my first book of poetry.

I’m also working together with 7 other fabulous women on a new site we will be launching soon that is community oriented with a goal of helping and supporting women.

I’m working on finding myself again and figuring out who that is without all of the labels I had before.

I’m working on making one dream come true, while letting go of another.

I’ve loved getting to know all of you and I’ve appreciated you coming here and getting to know me. As I said, this is goodbye for the blog, but not for me. I wish you all the best and if you’d like to keep in touch you can find me at these places:

Facebook - Author Profile
Facebook Page - From Casinos To Castles
Twitter - Author Profile (C2C will be deleted)
Tipsy Lit

And the new site isn’t ready yet, but you can follow on twitter to stay up to date on the launch!

The Sisterwives

Thank you again and I hope to see you at one of my other online locations!

 

The Value of Expat & Travel Writing

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Deanna Herrmann:

And Writing Around the World is up in full swing! Monday featured Charlotte, from Sherbet and Sparkles, with The Value of Travel & Expat Writing.

Originally posted on TIPSY LIT:

valueoftravelwriting
From the age of 14 I wanted to live in Japan. It was all I could think about, and I’d spend hours every day dreaming about the day I could move there. Coming from a family who do at least 3 long haul trips a year, I have never been nervous about going to foreign countries, nor have I ever been scared of things like flying. It’s just second nature to me. So when I finally got to live in Japan I didn’t think anything of it.

Then I started writing my blog.

I was 20 and a university student in Japan. I’d write about how to live in Japan – about going to the supermarket, buying a cell phone, getting a hair cut and at the same time I’d give details about how much Japanese would be required to complete each task and give some key vocabulary.

I started to…

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Writing Around The World

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Deanna Herrmann:

The Tipsy Lit feature this month is all about expats and travel writers! Make sure to check out new posts daily, Monday-Friday, and see which of your favorite expats wrote something fabulous!

Originally posted on TIPSY LIT:

writingaroundtheworld

You may remember me mentioning the fact that I rekindled my love for writing when I started my first blog, From Casinos To Castles. This blog was created as a way to document my journey of taking a huge leap of faith in becoming an expatriate. It started off fueled by the inspiration found in our courage and has become a place where I share things about every day expat life. The travel writing community is unlike any other I have ever found online, but they are similar in that they all share a glimpse of what it’s like to be a part of another culture, another world.

I’ve now had an expat blog for over a year as well as a separate writing blog. It occurred to me how different the communities are and how little may be known about the expat bloggers/travel writers. Granted, we all stumble…

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My Response to the Response

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Since my most recent post has apparently stirred up quite the discussion, both on and off the internet, I decided to write my response post to the response.

First off, what is a blog and why do people have them? The reasons vary from wanting to share travel experiences, personal journeys/skills (weight loss, cooking, crafts), and just to write, but in the end, it boils down to the same thing which is adhered to by the definition:

Blog-Definition

It’s all based on the writer’s own experiences, observations and opinions. Period.

Why is that important? Well, to me it means that there is not always “right and wrong” and things can’t always be “black and white”. We are all different with unique perspectives on life based on our experiences throughout. Just as some have said that I am “elitist” in my understanding of the term “expat”, they then turned around and wrote their own posts, or comments, or emails, or tweets in the exact “exclusionary” manner. It comes across that way because they formed an opinion, made a judgement, decided they were hurt and right, so I was hateful and wrong. To clarify for the record:

  • I never said anything derogatory about them as individuals or a group, but they did towards me.
  • They said a word meant nothing, judged my use of MY space and my writing, yet went on to fight for inclusion and/or write their own posts/emails/comments about the same thing.
  • They made assumptions about me, my intent and my life yet I never did about them.

I owned my opinions. I certainly didn’t show any two-faced mannerisms by claiming to “agree to disagree”, “interesting post” or even claiming to “agree completely” just to go on and email others, write posts/comments/tweets claiming otherwise in a response to being “attacked”. I also listed plain facts in my original post to justify my conclusion and yes, with a “disclaimer”. I also responded to each and every one with respect because that is how adults have objective discussions.

For those who had hurt feelings, I apologize(d) that my words hurt on an emotional level. In the end, I respect all of their viewpoints, their posts, their thoughts, their feelings and their opinions. They have a right to all of that and their blog is absolutely a place for them to share that.

I accept the fact that there will be differences of opinion.

I am open to the criticism you leave (or don’t leave) in the comments. 

This is my blog where I share my experiences. You follow (or don’t) because you like (or don’t) what I have to say. After all, isn’t that the point?

 

Saturday Feature: Sara in Le Petit Village

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Yes, I realize it’s not Saturday and for those of you just tuning in, I explain the delay caused by living life here. And boy did we live some life! I had 4 glorious days with my boys filled with sunshine, great food, shopping, apartment hunting and even a DATE! Can you imagine? We haven’t been on a date, alone, for almost a year. Did I mention it was wonderful?

So, here I am, back to all my lovely fellow expats and readers and for this feature, I want to share Sara with you. She was an American expat in France who is now going through the stages of becoming a repat as she adjusts to life in the states once again. This post in particular, she says goodbye to the LPV and I thought you’d all love to meet her (if you haven’t already) and see the place she used to call home.

♥

The Last Days of the LPV

My last days in The LPV whooshed by. I was busy; suitcases needed to be packed, bits and pieces had to be sold, given away and moved out, and goodbyes needed to be said. I was sad, but after six months of preparations, ready to go.

Because my move date was closing in, and I was a spinning top barely able to catch my breath, I made a point of snapping a photo or two every time I was out and about in the village. I was too busy to truly appreciate it all at the time so it was important that I captured it to savor later. Well it’s later.

I have no idea what the story behind the unicorn that has tagged Le Petit Village is all about. I’m pretty sure our local tattoo artist painted it, but as for the significance behind it, I’ve got nothing. I dig it though and like to think a unicorn was chosen because that’s The LPV’s symbol. I honestly couldn’t think of a better one.

I’m actually going to miss walking into my yellow post office. Post offices should be painted cheery colors, it’s a bit deceptive to be sure, but cheery nonetheless. Every time I accomplished something at La Poste (which doubled as our bank), I felt like I had slayed a mythical beast. It tried to better me on more than one occasion, but I remained victorious. Suck it La Poste, I own you.

And of course I’m going to miss the creepy tree house behind my house. It became my favorite thing to show visitors… it’s a medieval building that has been eaten by a tree for heaven’s sake! How does that even happen?!

But what I’ll miss the most in The LPV, is coming home to this door with Gregory and Fifty. There’ll be other doors of course, other homes, more memories, but I doubt any will hold a handle to the quaintness of this one. It’s too darn cute.

There was one last thing that I knew I had to capture, the bells. The church bell at the top of my garden that clanged hourly, driving Fifty batty and ensuring that no one in our house ever slept past 7AM. Now I find myself straining to hear them toll. Clocks strike another hour and are met with nothing, no sound. It’s downright un-Petit Village like.

♥

Sara I was glad to see that Gregory and Fifty made it safely. Hope you are all adjusting well and I wish you the best in your new repat adventure!

Everyone else, please go give Sara a virtual hug and thank you for being patient with me. Don’t forget, no linkup this week as I work on the exciting Tipsy Lit feature, showing off several of your favorite expats!

xx Deanna